


shining shimmering splendid

by makemelovely



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fluff and Angst, and by bully i mean intimidating loner kind of mean nia, bully!nia, enemies is one sided, glitter fairie!alexa, pixie princess!alexa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 05:31:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15260484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makemelovely/pseuds/makemelovely
Summary: Alexa Bliss is a nuisance. Not even one of those fun ones who joke around a lot and pester just the right amount. No, she’s one of the annoying ones. One of the ones whose entire existencepersonallybothers Nia.//or the high school au where nia hates super nice glitter lover alexa who just doesn't understand that some people don't want to be friends.





	shining shimmering splendid

Alexa Bliss is a nuisance. Not even one of those fun ones who joke around a lot and pester just the right amount. No, she’s one of the annoying ones. One of the ones whose entire existence _personally_ bothers Nia. She’s always wearing glitter. Literally always. Monday through Friday, day in and day out whether it’s with her makeup (fucking herpes of the arts and crafts world, _and_ the fashion world) or her clothes or that fucking tutu she shows up in on Spirit Day. She’s also cheery, all the time. Her smile is always the same massive size even when it’s rainy or cold or hot. It’s like she’s a robot who can’t feel the weather. Actually, that’d make a lot of sense.

 

“Nia!” Nia doesn’t stop. In fact, she moves faster. She doesn’t want to talk to Alexa, not right now. Not ever, actually. “Nia, wait up.” A small hand curls around her wrist. Nia sighs heavily, and turns around to look at the peppy blonde menace following her around like a ghost. Alexa smiles broadly at Nia, and she notices that Alexa’s hair is damp.

 

“Your hair.” Nia says dumbly, glancing at the double doors that lead into the school. Rain gently pelts the window, and Nia wonders when that started.

 

“Oh. Yeah,” Alexa blushes, taking a piece of wet hair in between her thumb and forefinger. “I got a little wet. Luckily I had my hoodie so my outfit wasn’t ruined, but when I was running in the hood fell off, and my hair got wet.” She explains.

 

Nia’s brows furrow. She glances over Alexa, examining the barely five foot girl. She was wearing light wash jeans and a silky gray button up. On her feet were the converse she always wore. “You aren’t wearing a hoodie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with a hoodie, now that I think about it.”

 

Alexa’s face flushes, her eyes brightening happily. “Aw, Nia! It’s so sweet that you pay so much attention. It wasn’t my hoodie, by the way. Murphy left it at my house last weekend, so I kept it.” Alexa shares, leaning into Nia. Her hand was still wrapped around Nia’s wrist. It was a weird feeling having Alexa touch her. Alexa’s skin was pretty warm, but that might’ve been the amount of time she’d been holding on to Nia.

 

Nia gently pries her wrist away, but she doesn’t think the chatty blonde notices what she’s doing. She’s just going on and on about something that Nia doesn’t particularly care about. Nia’s about to tell her this (more likely she’s about to tell her to shut the fuck up) when a brunette appears suddenly at Alexa’s side. “Lex!” The brunette says loudly causing Nia to wince. “Mella is flipping her shit about something Nat said. You’ve got to come talk her down.” Mickie James (that’s who she is! Mickie was in her Spanish class last year. She was a beautiful brunette from Virginia who still had some semblance of a Southern accent.) informs Alexa.

  


Alexa nods quickly, skating a hand down Nia’s arm in what was probably supposed to be a comforting gesture. “See you later, Nia. Cheer Captain business.” Alexa runs off down the hallway, Mickie following just a little behind her.

 

Oh yeah, did Nia mention she’s a _cheerleader?_

 

* * *

 

 

Nia rarely goes into the cafeteria during lunch. On a regular day she’ll hang out in the library instead. That way she can get work done, and sometimes she’ll sneak an apple or a bag of carrot sticks in. Today is a different story.

 

Nia sits at a deserted table, and she picks at the weirdly shaped pizza that she had gotten. Maybe she should have gone with the salad. It’s more appetizing, and it’s less likely to cause food poisoning or something like that.

 

“Hey!” Nia looks up to see Alexa Bliss skipping towards her, dressed in her blue gymnastics outfit complete with a tutu. Behind her are Blake and Murphy, Alexa’s boyfriends or best friends, or, well, nobody actually knows what they are. Whatever they are, they’ve been together since the beginning of high school.

 

“Bliss, what’re you wearing?” Nia asks, a little appalled at the sparkly blue outfit. Alexa settles in next to Nia, a pleasant laugh bubbling out of her throat. Blake and Murphy settle in across from them, sharing an amused look as they sit.

 

Alexa’s laugh is like tinkling bells, and Nia’s a little fascinated. “My gymnastics uniform, silly!” She smiles, reaching over and plucking a carrot from Nia’s plate. Blake smirks at his friends antics, and transfers half of the fruits and vegetables on his plate over to a napkin in front of Alexa. Alexa nudges his ankle under the table, and Murphy passes her a bottle of water. She winks at him as a thank you, and takes a swig of water.

 

Nia just shakes her head, wondering why she didn’t go to the library. “Why are you wearing your gymnastics uniform?”

 

Alexa rolls her shoulders, tilting her head to crack her neck. “I’ve got a competition in, say, twenty minutes.” She reveals, checking a watch on her wrist. _People still wear watches?_ Nia thinks to herself. “The team is getting on the bus right after this last lunch shift, so there’s no time to change.” Alexa pops a strawberry into her mouth, mouth forming an ‘o’ around the red fruit before it disappears. “That’s also why I’m eating fruit and veggies. I get nervous around big competitions, and I can’t eat visually big portions because it worries me. I kind of get a nagging feeling that I’m gonna be sick which does _not_ bode well with flips and jumps and stuff. Plus, water is good for you, so.” Alexa shrugs, choosing a grape to eat next.

 

Murphy pulls his phone out, tapping out a quick message and clicking send. “Hey, Lex,” Murphy spoke up. “Don’t forget to tie up your hair. You always forget.” He reminds her, taking a black ponytail from his own wrist and tossing it to her.

 

Alexa pulls her hair up into a ponytail, and Nia’s stomach twists awkwardly. Alexa is a pretty girl. Nia’s well aware of this, but she’s only ever seen her with her hair down or in pigtails. Her in a high ponytail is a little overwhelming. _She looks cute, like seriously cute._ Nia thinks, mouth dry. She can’t bring herself to look away from the blonde hair brushing along the back of her neck. Nia swallows once, twice. The ponytail sways a little, and Nia wants to reach a hand out and brush her fingers along the soft looking hair.

 

The remainder of lunch passes faster than Nia thought it would. Soon Alexa’s plate is empty, and she’s rushing off to head to the bus. She leans in quickly, brushing her lips along Nia’s cheek with lightning speed. She spins on her feet and heads over to Blake and Murphy, kissing each of them square on the mouth. “See ya!” Alexa waves, bouncing out of the cafeteria. Nia stares after her wake, eyes wide and lips twisted into a confused frown.

 

She barely notices when Blake and Murphy get to their feet, leaving her alone with her thoughts of the school’s resident Pixie Princess.

 

* * *

 

 

Nia successfully avoids Alexa for a little over two weeks. She’s not purposefully avoiding the shorter girl. Okay, so she totally splits when she spots anybody who remotely looks like Alexa but that’s neither here nor there.

 

Her avoidance comes to a screeching halt one Monday afternoon just after sixth period when she stops at her locker to grab her History textbook. She loiters around her locker, face buried inside to avoid seeing or being seen by Alexa. So long as she hides behind the ugly orange door, she’s safe. Or so she thought.

 

“Are you avoiding me?” Alexa asks, leaning against an adjacent locker. Her shoulder presses against the blue locker. Her arms are crossed around her middle, fingers splayed over her ribs. Her light blue eyes are shiny, and hurt gleams bright in her eyes. The sad droop of her lips make Nia’s heart hurt. She’s _never_ seen Alexa frown. She’d always worn a smile as long as Nia knew her. It throws her for a loop that _she’s_ the one causing that frown.

 

“What?” Nia says, voice higher than she intends it to be. “Of course not.” She denies, studiously avoiding Alexa’s heavy gaze.

 

The sudden motion of Alexa nodding her head catches Nia’s attention. “Right, of course not.” If Nia’s not mistaken, then Alexa sounds sad, and bitter, and resigned. Alexa glances up, and Nia realizes that her eyes are shiny from tears.

 

“Are you… okay?” Nia whispers hesitantly, reaching out and almost immediately drawing her hands back to herself.

 

Alexa nods, lips pursed. “Yeah, I just thought-” She catches herself, visibly pausing. “Well, it doesn’t matter what I thought, huh?” Alexa chokes on a laugh, and the sound breaks Nia’s heart.

 

 _Wait, what?_ Nia freezes. _No, I don’t care about Alexa’s feelings. I don’t even_ like _her!_ Nia ignores the sympathy pulsing in her heart, and focuses on the indifference that she feels. Or wants to feel. “This conversation took a weird, emotional turn.” Nia states. Maybe it’s rude of her, but Nia’s never been good at the emotional stuff.

 

It’s the wrong thing to say, which Nia should’ve expected. Alexa’s face flushes, pale cheeks blooming dark pink. “How insensitive are you?!” Alexa snaps, jerking back like she’s been struck. “Or are you just thick in the head?” She says sarcastically.

 

Nia feels like all the air in the world has been sucked away, and she’s left breathing in nothing. For a moment it feels like she’s empty inside, hollowed out. Then something red hot burns inside her, and rage bubbles up inside her like molten lava. She’s a volcano, then, and it’s only a matter of time until she erupts. “Oh, _I’m_ thick in the head? _You’re_ the one who dresses like a five year old. Glitter here, glitter there, glitter everywhere!” Nia mocks her, brown eyes sparking with an inner fire.

 

“At least I’m nice! You just walk around like you hate everyone, and your five yard glare doesn’t help with that.” Alexa argues, fists clenched and breathing heavily. The bell rang long ago and they’re the only ones in the hallway. “God, no wonder I’m your only friend.” She spits out.

 

“I do hate everyone! And by the way, you are _not_ my friend. I don’t know how much brain damage you have because of that cheap bleached hair, but I don’t like you! I can barely tolerate you. No, no, I can’t _stand_ you! You walk around like you are oh-so nice but you’re just an idiotic preppy princess who thinks the world owes her something because she smiles and says please and thank you.” Nia shouts, drawing up to her full height and towering over the five foot blonde. Her lower lip quivers, and she’s drawing in small puffs of breath. Nia’s anger evaporates into something cruel and cold, and this is when she goes for the killing blow. “Newsflash, sweetheart, you aren’t worth a damn, and nobody worth anything would waste their time on someone as irrelevant as you.” Nia says slowly and carefully. There’s no anger in her voice, just a clinical coldness. A detachment she hasn’t felt for anybody in years.

 

For a minute Alexa just stands there, lip quivering. Tears spill down her cheeks, and she turns and runs down the hallway. Away from this fight. Away from her class. Away from Nia. “Shit.” Nia breathes once the realization of what she’s done crashes down upon her.

 

* * *

 

 

Alexa doesn’t avoid Nia. She simply doesn't talk to her. If Nia approaches her, she refuses to speak a word to the taller girl. Nia wonders what she can do, _if_ she can anything. Maybe all of her efforts will be met with silence, with hurt and resentment and unforgiveness.

 

Nia ponders over doing something out of a Disney movie for her. She knows Alexa loves Disney (and also really cheesy 80s movies), and it’d be sure to give her some friendship points.

 

It hits her out of nowhere in the middle of English class. She’s thinking about Alexa, and how her eyes light up when she laughs, and her killer smile, and how lovely she looks in a ponytail, and how lovely she looks in _everything_ as a general rule of thumb. _Jesus, I just want to hold her hand and get coffee with her and watch Glow, and kiss a lot, and maybe go shopping with her- wait what?! Kiss her! I don’t want to kiss her, that’s something a couple would do. I don’t want to be a couple with Alexa. Just because I want to hold her hand and hug her and kiss her and live with her maybe in the future and cuddle in bed- okay, maybe I definitely want to be a couple with her._

 

Nia thinks about what this means, thinks about the implications of this. _Damn it, now I have to do a romantic gesture._

 

* * *

 

 

Nia’s never liked Spirit Days. Wearing school colors and celebrating dumb stuff about school is pointless in the grand scheme of things. So it’s quite a stir when the school’s most vocally unsupportive student shows up in a sparkly blue tutu and very obvious glittery orange eyeshadow.

 

“What’re you wearing?” Somebody asks her, aghast. They quickly back off when Nia gets in their face and scowls so fiercely that they’re shaking in their boots and Nia hasn’t even threatened them yet.

 

She wears them all day, but she doesn’t share any classes with Alexa. Thus she spends the entire day unhappy and glowering. _Where can I be sure to find Alexa?_ Nia muses, running a hand through her brown hair. _Oh, oh! The football game. Alexa’s a cheerleader, she’s sure to be at the football game._

 

Nia sits through that stupid game for, like, an hour until the cheerleaders run onto the field, cheering and jumping around. They break into their routine, and Nia’s breath catches in her throat when Alexa is tossed up. She’s smiling brightly, and her light hair floats around her face like the halo of an angel. _That’s what she is._ Nia decides. _An angel._

 

They do a few more routines and cheers, but soon enough they’re filing out into the parking lot. They aren’t needed for the rest of the game, and the coach lets them go early. Nia follows after them, aiming to get to Alexa’s car before she does.

 

She waits in front of Alexa’s small car, absently noting that it’s small just like the owner. “Nia, what do you want?” Alexa calls from a distance. She’s too far away to notice Nia’s get up, and Nia’s not sure if that’s good or not.

 

“I want to apologize. I was such a dick, and it wasn’t even for a good reason. I guess I panicked because I like you so much, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. Not a good reason, I know, but I just want you to know that everything I said was from a place of insecurity and confusion. I didn’t understand my feelings, and I took it out on you. It wasn’t fair, or right, and I’m sorry.” Nia apologizes once Alexa’s close enough to hear her without needing her to shout. This is a private conversation (hopefully) and Nia just wants it to be between them.

 

“What are you wearing?” Alexa breathes, corner of her mouth tilting upwards. Her eyes shine with amazement.

 

Nia shifts self consciously, uncomfortable. “I, uh, wore this outfit all day for Spirit Day. I wanted to support you, and apologize, I guess.”

 

“I guess?” Alexa teases. Nia nods, smirk playing on her lips. “What’d I hear about you liking me?” She asks, eyes bright and hopeful.

 

Nia blinks, taking a deep breath. “I like you a lot. And I mean _a lot._ I have a crush on you, a pretty big one. I understand if you don’t like me too-” Alexa cuts her off quickly, grabbing onto her face with both hands and dragging her down to meet her lips.

 

They kiss frantically, lips colliding in a moment both had been waiting for. Alexa grins against her lips, and finally she pulls back just the slightest bit. Their foreheads rest together, and they cling to one another. “I like you too, you big dope.” Alexa confesses.

 

It’s just like one of Alexa’s dumb 80s movies, and Nia loves it.

 


End file.
